Search

Janet Mock’s new book Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More comes out today. Here’s the short version of my review: go buy it and read it now.

Janet Mock’s writing is compelling, familiar, and even conversational, which makes the complex work she is doing in this book seem easy. Redefining Realness is a number of things: it is primarily Mock’s personal story. But it is also a subversion of the trans memoir, a by now ubiquitous form, as Mock claims her own life and refuses to let familiar beats fall into familiar tropes. It presents a different story from those of class-privileged white trans folks whose memoirs are usually the ones to reach a wider audience. And it is the trans memoir we need right now.

It’s also impossible for me to review this book with much distance. There are notable differences between Mock’s identity and story and my own, but she writes with such open honesty about experiences that hit close to home. There are moments, as in the the narrative of telling her boyfriend Aaron about her trans history which bookends the memoir, where I’m struck by reading a feeling I’ve experienced described better than I ever could. And there are other moments, when Janet is navigating her family, when I had to put the book down because of the intense mix of familiarity and difference between our experiences. More than just a narrative of transition, Mock’s writing is real and human, offering a story about personal growth that will be invaluable for many audiences.

Redefining Realness is Janet Mock’s story of growing up mostly in Hawaii, speaking up about her gender, and acting with determination to live more fully as herself, something that has clearly continued through the writing of this book. It is the story of a brilliant and independent honor student who will do whatever she has to to survive. The book engages with racial identity, poverty, sexual and domestic abuse, sex work, and medical transition. It is the story of a young trans woman of color, and it is the story of someone who explores and embraces all those identities, but who also refuses to be limited by those categories. While the story involves a lot of struggles too often faced by low-income trans women of color, it also includes beautiful friendships, loving relationships, and personal triumph. Mock recognizes that acceptance from people in her life at an early age has positively impacted her journey. She also gives us a complex look at the supposed privilege of “passing” in her life, challenging the way this idea has been applied to trans folks, when really what we’re talking about is conforming to cis standards for what a woman should look like, not deceptively passing as a “real” woman or pretending at “real” womanhood. Ultimately, it is her commitment to being fully herself in all her complexities that shines through.

Mock brings the same bravery and fierce determination that is evident in her history to the writing of the book, claiming her own story and making sure experiences that have often been used to dehumanize trans women and reduce us to our transition status instead serve to give the reader a more full and honest glimpse of her humanity. Mock situates her experiences and choices in a sociopolitical context, showing that much more than transition impacts trans women’s lives and giving the narrative broader import. At the same time, she shows a sharp awareness of her own psychological process, the ways experiences shaped her and her sense of self and motivated her actions, offering readers an insight into the personal impact of systemic oppression and the resilience it takes to survive and even thrive.

Boston, MA

Jos Truitt is Executive Director of Development at Feministing. She joined the team in July 2009, became an Editor in August 2011, and Executive Director in September 2013. She writes about a range of topics including transgender issues, abortion access, and media representation. Jos first got involved with organizing when she led a walk out against the Iraq war at her high school, the Boston Arts Academy. She was introduced to the reproductive justice movement while at Hampshire College, where she organized the Civil Liberties and Public Policy Program’s annual reproductive justice conference. She has worked on the National Abortion Federation’s hotline, was a Field Organizer at Choice USA, and has volunteered as a Pro-Choice Clinic Escort. Jos has written for publications including The Guardian, Bilerico, RH Reality Check, Metro Weekly, and the Columbia Journalism Review. She has spoken and trained at numerous national conferences and college campuses about trans issues, reproductive justice, blogging, feminism, and grassroots organizing. Jos completed her MFA in Printmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute in Spring 2013. In her "spare time" she likes to bake and work on projects about mermaids.

Jos Truitt is an Executive Director of Feministing in charge of Development.

A few days into this week, the Trump administration has already made two strikes against the LGBT community, by revoking protections for federal contractors and erasing LGBT people from the 2020 census.

A few days into this week, the Trump administration has already made two strikes against the LGBT community, by revoking protections for federal contractors and erasing ...

Search

We need your help!

Get Our Newsletter

New posts and Feministing news delivered to your inbox weekly!

Want to write for us?

All Feministing posts are written by the site’s collective of regular columnists and editors. Though we don’t currently accept guest submissions, we have an open platform Community site to which anyone can contribute. We often promote our favorite Community posts on the main site. And Community bloggers who consistently impress us may to be invited to become regular Feministing columnists..